My invention relates to cup stacking game apparatus adapted to be carried on a belt loop or the like.
Cup stacking games (cups stacked inverted in pyramids) have been developed for youths involving usually two or more persons competing against each other individually or in teams or relays. Commonly, a stack of cups involves three cups (two on the first course and one on the second course) or six cups (three on the first course, two on the second course and one on the third course). One stack of six cups and two stacks of three cups is another possibility. The stacking can be on the floor or tables inside or on the ground outside. In one type of competition, the player can stack in one location and race to another location to stack a second time. Unstacking may be involved as well as stacking. Such games are fun, are exciting, involve good exercise, are easy to learn, increase hand-eye coordination, and involve hand quickness, and involve technique development. The levels of skill that can be developed are quite surprising.
The present invention concerns the problem of transporting the cups from place to place. If a youth carries a bag of marbles or a yo-yo in his pocket, then he is ready to play at any time. Cups are awkward to carry. A minimum to carry would be six cups. Preferably, twelve cups are carried, which permits being a player in a game requiring twelve cups each or to play with another person without cups in games involving six cups each. Twelve ounce cups are of good size (made of paper or preferably of more durable plastic). It is an objective of my invention to solve the problem of convenient carrying of cups by youths.
A nest of twelve cups, with only minor separation between cups, will be about six and one-half inches high, in preferred twelve ounce cups each about four and a quarter inches high. If broad-brim type cup separation were instead involved with around nine-sixteenths inch runs, the total nested stack would be about ten inches or more even in 189 ml. (6.4 oz.) cups which is considered too high and is not preferred. The twelve ounce 41/4" cups size is a good size for playing cup stacking games.
It will be understood that even the six and one-half inch stack would be difficult to carry. An objective of my invention is to devise a convenient, economical, practical way to hold such a stack of nested cups together for transportation and preferably to permit snapping the secured stack to a belt loop, a belt, a shoulder strap of a back pack, a purse loop, etc., similarly to how children carry their home latchkeys.
My invention will be best understood, together with additional advantages and objectives thereof, when read with reference to the drawings.